


The Kuran Family

by kooky500



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adam's Family AU, Alternate Universe, Don't @ Me, Everyone Is Gay, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Homosexuality, I'm so weak for adam's family aus, Kaname is gomez, Multi, Romance, Spooky, TRY AND STOP ME, They're All Gay, Zero is morticia, Zero says fuck your gender norms, fuck I'm blanking on tags for this one, plot device oc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 15:09:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21255347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kooky500/pseuds/kooky500
Summary: Who is the Kuran family? That's a secret not many people know, other than the fact that they're just plain odd. Let's have a look into the life of the strange family as told through the eyes of a naive college student who accepted a job working as a nanny for them...~They're creepy and they're kookyMysterious and spookyThey're all together ookyThe Kuran Family!





	The Kuran Family

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!!

Williamsburg is a lovely little place, by most standards, a lively town to be sure - filled with all manner of chatter and people milling about. Brightly colored flowers line beds along the roads and each house is made of red bricks, neatly stacked with smoke coming from the chimneys in a picturesque scene that may as well have been brought to life straight from the cover of a postcard. Everyone knows everyone in such a place, greeting each other with cheery _how-do-you-do’s _and _good morning’s_. And no one ever speaks of the dark manor that sits on the lonely hill, save for the whispers in darkened corners late at night and even then, such a thing isn’t done without a cautious glance around as though its occupants might somehow be listening.

The Kuran manor is a magnificent structure to behold, for all the disdain people hold for it. With its rich, dark stone walls and windows that look down upon the rest of the world like rows upon rows of eyes, it’s quite a sight, standing over the village like an ever-watchful guardian. A wrought-iron fence that ends in delicate but deadly spikes at the top and is littered with vines dotted with red roses curling around the metal encloses the whole place, with a creaky gate at the edge of a dirt drive.

Indeed, the manor is a strange sight, and its inhabitants not much less so.

No one knows much about the Kurans themselves, really. How can they when the inhabitants rarely deign to leave the safety of their isolated manor up on the hill? It is known that the manor is owned by the son of the late Lord and Lady, Kaname Kuran and that his sister, Yuuki resides in the house as well. Just as it is also known that the Lord has a spouse, though few, if anyone, have seen such a person. And that is all that remains known about such a family, or at least it was until now.

“The Kuran manor? Sure, right up there on that hill. Don’t know what you want to do with what place though. Nothing but bad luck if you ask me,” The old gas-station cashier tells Eliza with breath that reeks of tobacco.

The girl—a sprightly young thing with curls of blonde hair and rosy cheeks gives him a thankful smile, one that she hopes hides her grimace. She quickly pays for her items and ducks out before he can start going on about some old conspiracy theory. 

She’s just moved out here for college this year—she really doesn’t need to hear about how aliens built the pyramids or how the Kurans are obviously worshipping the devil and performing human sacrifices.

_Really_, Eliza wonders why everyone in this town seems so spooked about the manor. It’s just a house if you ask her. What’s there to be worried about? Just like they’d all warned her against taking the job posted by the Kurans looking for a nanny. She has nothing against kids, and it would be nice to make a bit of extra cash while continuing her studies. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than renting a dorm. 

She scoffs and shakes her head, slotting the key into the ignition of her car. Honestly, just how strange can the Kurans be?

Sometime later Eliza pulls into the dirt driveway without an issue, having found the iron gates already open for her when she arrived and steps up onto the wooden porch. She lifts the silver knocker on the door and lets it fall against the wooden surface of the door a few times before someone finally answers and the huge door opens with a creak.

“Hello?” 

A woman greets Eliza with big, tired brown eyes, looking up at her from beneath long brown locks. She’s wearing an odd dress that falls just shy of her knees and is full of black frills and lace. It looks like something a doll would wear, honestly. Yet the blue butterflies fluttering down to land on the woman’s shoulders and the dead ones pinned to her clothing draw far more attention than any of that.

“Are you lost, little birdy?” The woman questions with a soft voice and a tilt of her head.

“I-I don’t believe so,” Eliza hesitates. “Are you… Mrs. Kuran?”

The woman titters as though finding her question immensely amusing and lifts one of the butterflies up to her ear with her finger. She frowns, briefly before her lips curl into a slow smile once more. 

“Ah, my little darlings tell me_ you_ are the one my brother hired, yes?”

Ah, so this must be Yuuki Kuran then. Not Mrs. Kuran after all. Eliza’s cheeks color at her mistake.

“Yeah, that’s me. Eliza Meram, ma’am. Nice to meet you.”

Yuuki’s smile doesn’t waver as she reaches a hand out to shake Eliza’s. Her grip is cold to the touch, like ice. 

“You as well, Miss Eliza. It’s been so long since we had visitors in the manor. I do hope you’ll stick around. Now please, do come in. I shall go and find where my idiotic brother has drifted off to.”

“Thank you.” Eliza murmurs, stepping inside as thunder booms and lightning flashes across the sky. 

The sitting room is huge, covering in towering shelves of books and dark, red walls. A coffee table sits at the center between a large sofa and several cushiony armchairs. Above it all, a glittering chandelier hangs down and lanterns decorate the walls. It’s rather homey, really. She takes a seat as Yuuki flounces off, disappearing up a great staircase in the center of the main hall.

Eliza’s fingers run over the dusty covered tomes lining wooden shelves as her gaze flickers across each title. She’d been waiting nearly an hour now for Yuuki to return and sitting around doing nothing was rather boring, after all. _101 ways to maim someone. Torture and you—a beginner’s guide to causing incomparable agony. Everything you need to know about poisons!_ She frowned as her finger came away covered in gray dust. Clearly, someone needed to clean these shelves as they were in dire need of it.

“Eliza Meram, correct?”

She jumped at the sound of a voice behind her and whirled around, coming face-to-face with a tall man clad in a monochrome striped suit. There was no judgement in his garnet eyes, yet Eliza couldn’t help but feel that he was testing her somehow.

“Yes, that would be me. I assume you are Mr. Kuran.”

There was a brief flash of white teeth. “What a sharp one you are. Yes, that would be I. Terribly sorry to keep you waiting, by the way. I would have answered the door, but I was rather preoccupied.”

Preoccupied? What could- It was then that Eliza noticed the faint darkening mark on the man’s neck, one that his collar couldn’t quite cover up. She averted her gaze politely. She didn’t need _that_ mental image, thank you very much.

“Oh, it’s fine, sir, I understand.”

“Well then,” Kaname adjusted his cuffs. “Shall we go over your duties? I assume you know what is to be expected of you, but I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page.”

For the next hour or so, Eliza went over all that she was expected to take care of during her time with the Kurans. Of course, her main task was in making sure the children of the house—Ren and Ai were on time to their lessons, as well as making meals for them, assisting in homework and other menial tasks. It sounded easy enough if one asked Eliza and the Kurans were being more than generous with the pay. That last part helped.

“Er, excuse me, Mr. Kuran. I’m sorry to interrupt but you’ve got a little-“ She motioned at one of his wrists where the fabric was stained a dark red that was quickly growing brown. 

“Hm? Oh,” Kaname clicked his tongue. “Thank you for letting me know. I wish I’d noticed that earlier. Blood is terribly difficult to get out of fabric. Shame, this was one of my favorite suits too. Ah well, nothing to be done, I suppose. Now, any questions? Concerns?”

“None that I can think of. Except, where are Ren and Ai, if you don’t mind me asking? I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting them yet.”

“Ah, they should be finishing their lessons in a few moments, I believe. Just in time for supper. Which reminds me, I should be waking my spouse right about now. He gets dreadfully angry if I let him sleep for too long. Come along, won’t you? I’m sure he’ll be delighted to meet you.”

Eliza completely misheard Kaname’s choice of pronouns as he spoke, too excited instead at the prospect of meeting the mysterious spouse of Mr. Kuran. So far, she’d already met Yuuki Kuran and Mr. Kuran himself and both of them seemed normal and not at all like the stories she’d heard. But nearly no one in Williamsburg had ever seen Mr. Kuran’s spouse. Some even doubted she existed at all. Eliza was intrigued to see for herself what kind of person this mysterious woman was.

“Of course, sir.”

There’s a figure lying on the bed, clad in a dark dress that clings to her—no _his_ form. Waves of silver curls spill down his back and spill over the sheets like liquid. His dress dips down in the front, showing a sliver of pale skin. Eliza realizes belatedly that she’s staring and shakes her head. Right, Lord Kuran told her to wake his spouse. This person must be-

Just as she steps forward, a dark form slips past her, Lord Kaname himself approaching the bed quietly. He bends down and softly jostles the sleeping figure, pressing a lingering kiss to the man’s lips. “Zero? Zero, wake up, love. It’s time for supper.”

“Mmm. Kaname?” And that’s definitely a male voice if Eliza has ever heard one before, roughened from sleep as he fists a handful of brown locks, dragging Kaname closer as he deepens the kiss. It’s Kaname who ends the kiss with a chuckle, pulling away just as the other man sits up, rubbing at his eyes, which she notices are a startling shade of violet. “What time is it?”

“Nearly six in the evening, darling. You’ve been sleeping for some time.”

“Fuck. I didn’t mean to-“ The man starts only to break off into a yawn. “I didn’t mean to sleep that long.”

Kaname chuckles and leans down to kiss the man. “It’s alright, you needed the rest.”

Zero stands from the bed, taking Kaname’s arm as he does so.

“Easy love.”

Zero laughs at that as Kaname winds an arm around his waist and presses the smaller man against his chest. He braces himself against Kaname’s chest with both hands. “Relax, I’m not made of glass, you know.” Zero comments with a smirk before his gaze moves, landing on Eliza, standing helplessly in the doorway. “Oh? Who is this?”

The woman blinks, for a moment she’d been lost there, feeling as though she was intruding on a private moment between the couple. “Ah, pardon me. I’m the new nanny, sir. Eliza Meram. Er- it is sir, right?”

“Yes, it is sir. Zero Kiryuu-Kuran. Pleasure to meet you, Eliza. Though I’m sorry you have to see me like this,” The man—Zero tells her with a nervous chuckle as he moves out of Kaname’s arms.

“Oh, don’t worry, you look fine, sir!” She rushes out.

“I’m glad you think so,” Zero says with a clearly restrained chuckle, exchanging a glance with Kaname as though sharing a private joke.

It’s plain to see how much the two men are enraptured with one another. When they exchange glances, it is as though they get lost in their own little world, just the two of them. 

Eliza can’t help the distinct sensation that she’s witnessing an intimate moment, so she quietly and discreetly ducks back out of the doorway, making herself scarce.

“I should freshen up for dinner,” Zero murmurs as the girl, Eliza leaves. She seems to be a sweet little thing, if a bit timid. She’ll fit in just fine here without a doubt. He strolls over to the mirrored vanity, taking a seat before watching a darker shape come up behind his reflection.

“Let me,” Kaname offers, taking a strand of silver hair and pressing it gently to his mouth in a kiss. He’s always loved Zero’s hair—the way it catches the light and gleams like liquid metal, how soft it feels against his skin and the smell of jasmine that clings to it.

He picks up the jeweled brush and runs it through the soft strands, gently working through any tangles. Zero’s hair is like thin pieces of silk, running through his hands. His spouse lets his enjoyment be known with a quiet sigh, leaning back against Kaname as the man finishes, pulling Zero’s long locks back behind him with a simple ribbon.

“Thank you,” Zero says as he stands and walks over to the closet. His current attire leaves him feeling a bit chilled, so he shrugs off the gown before scouring for something more suitable to wear to dinner. He settles on a simple black blouse and trousers before turning around and meeting the eyes of his spouse, no doubt lingering on his behind. “How does it look?”

The brunette steps forward to wrap an arm around his waist, pulling Zero flush against his chest and pressing a lingering kiss to his silver-haired lover’s lips.

“Still as enchanting as the day we met,” Kaname murmurs, brushing Zero’s hair aside to kiss the silver cuff on his ear. “Do you remember that?”

“I do,” _Oh_ did he remember. They’d met some years ago, he and Kaname, when Haruka and Juri kept trying to set the brunette up with that Shirabuki woman. It never worked out with the woman and they raised hell together when Kaname revealed he chose Zero instead of Sara as his fiancé.

“But do _you_ remember what came _after_ your proposal?” Zero asked in a purr. He spun in Kaname’s arms, wrapping his arms around his husband in turn and gripping the brunette’s ass suggestively. 

“Perhaps I could do with a reminder,” Kaname leaned down to nip at the dark tattoo on his lover’s neck before hoisting Zero up, forcing the shorter man to wrap his legs around Kaname’s waist. The brunette pressed his lover against the wall, devouring his lips in a kiss.

“Kaname!”

Zero tipped his head back in a groan while his lover’s tongue teased at the sensitive skin of his ear, lolling his head to the side to further to allow him access. “Mm, we have to get to dinner.”

Kaname realized his husband was right, of course. Everyone downstairs would be waiting for them and it was a horrible first impression to make if he and Zero couldn’t even be bothered to show up on time for meals. He set Zero down with a reluctant pout, it seemed like nearly a week since he’d had any private time with his spouse.

“Don’t be like that,” Zero said, tipping the brunette’s chin up with one finger. “There will be plenty of time for other activities after dinner, my dear.”

“You’re right. Nothing works up the appetite for murder like a good meal.” And murder always worked up the appetite for _other_ activities.

“Aren’t I always?”

Kaname chuckles and lifts Zero’s hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “Of course, my love.”

Eliza jumps as she rounded the corner to the dining room and came face-to-face with two short figures staring at her with open curiosity beneath their thin veneer of detachment.

“Goodness!” She chuckles, lifting a hand to her chest. “You gave me quite a fright there! Now let me guess, you two must be Ai and Ren, yes?”

One of them is a dark-haired girl with hair pulled into twin, dark braids and the other has light hair that comes just below their chin in a choppy bob. Both give a nod at the same time.

“Pleased to meet you, then!”

“Are you the new nanny?” The dark-haired girl asks.

“That I am. Eliza Meram, at your service. What’s your name, miss?”

“Ai. This is Ren, they don’t talk much.”

Eliza chuckles good-naturedly at Ren’s agreeing nod and reaches out to shake each child’s hand. 

“Nothing wrong with that, I’m the same way myself, so I hear that.” She says with a wink at Ren and a smile before she notices the red cuts on their hands with a frown. “Well now, what have you two been getting up to? 

“I was teaching Ren how to juggle,” Ai tells her, holding up a sharp blade with a shrug.

A gasp escapes the older woman as she snatches the knife from the girl’s hands. 

“My goodness, that’s no good! This knife is rusted _all_ over! See?” She points towards the russet-brown spots covering its shiny surface. “We wouldn’t want you two getting tetanus or any other nasty disease from this, now would we? Here, let’s go find you a better knife to play with and see about getting this one all shined up and new, hm?”

Ai looks a bit put-out at that but gives a slow nod. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Aw, no need for ‘ma’am’. Just call me Eliza, after all, we’re friends, aren’t we? Speaking of which, it’s almost time for dinner. Tell you what, we’ll see about getting you a better knife after dinner, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Now, I’d better go fetch your aunt for supper.”

The young woman wanders around the manor for some time, searching for Yuuki Kuran yet coming up empty-handed. It doesn’t help that the whole place is like a maze and she’s certain at one point she ends up just walking around in circles.

Finally, she stumbles upon a set of doors leading outside. There, she sees a broken stone path leading down a hill covered with dead trees and bushes full of thorns. The woman follows the path, curious to see where it leads and winds up in front of a massive greenhouse, glass walls dark and nearly opaque.

“Miss Kuran?” She calls out, hefting open the iron doors and wincing as she’s hit with a wave of humidity. The place is crawling with dark roses and vines everywhere, plants stretching out to cover a stone path that Eliza tries to stick to.

“Hm?” 

Yuuki pokes her head out from some place above the woman and it takes Eliza a second to realize she’s sitting at the base of a set of winding iron stairs. As usual, several iridescent butterflies cling to the woman’s form, their wings fluttering slightly.

“Supper is nearly ready.”

“It’s time for supper already? My, time must have gotten away from me.” 

A disembodied hand scrambles up the railing and makes Eliza’s eyes widen. She shakes her head and looks away as it crawls up the staircase. Her Mama always told her it isn’t polite to stare.

“Need a hand, my dear?” Yuuki asks the limb, gripping it with surprising gentleness and bringing it to her face, caressing it with her cheek.

Another woman comes down the stairs then, with short golden hair and a missing hand on her left arm. She wears a sheepish smile that stretches the stitches at the edges of her lips, wearing a simple white gown that shows several lines of stitches all over her form.

“Apologies,” The woman murmurs towards Eliza as she takes the hand from Yuuki and fixes it back on like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. “This happens from time to time.”

The woman giggles as Yuuki tugs her back down onto her lap and presses a series of fluttering kisses over her face before landing on her lips.

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” Eliza quickly assures her. _What an odd health condition._

“My name is Yori, by the way. Although you can feel free to call me whatever you like.” She leans against Yuuki, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck. “Yuuki and I have a bit of an unconventional relationship, as you can tell. I _do_ hope such things don’t bother you.”

Yuuki hums and possessively runs a hand through Yori’s hair, leaning in to press her cheek against it, eyes fluttering closed with a soft sigh and a murmur. 

“Yori, pretty, pretty, Yori. Lovely, Yori.”

It may be a bit less than conventional, but then Eliza doesn’t have much experience with relationships herself so she can’t really judge for sure. Either way, it doesn’t bother her much. Certainly, she’s seen stranger things before.

“It’s not a bother for me, ma’am. You won’t find any judgement here,” Eliza assures her, before remembering why she came down here in the first place. “Oh! And dinner is ready, ma’am. I thought it best to come fetch you and Miss Kuran.”

“Ah, then I suppose we had better go and see what tonight’s meal is.”

Yuuki sighs as Yori leaves her lap to stand and slowly rises in a flurry of dark skirts and butterfly wings. “I do hope it isn’t long pig once again. That will make it the third night this week.”

Zero smiles slowly as he and Kaname waltz into the dining room, Ai and Ren both turning to face them immediately. He bends down to press a kiss to each of their heads and laughs at their resulting pouts.

“Hello, my darlings,” Kaname greets them. “Getting into trouble today, are we?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Glad to hear it.”

As Zero takes his seat beside his husband at the long, wooden table, Yuuki comes sauntering into the dining room in a flurry of her dark, lace skirts, accompanied by Eliza and Yori, the latter of which claims the seat beside Yuuki with a bright smile.

“Evening, Yuuki. Have you been showing our new guest around?”

The woman titters at Zero’s question. “Oh yes, Yori and I have been showing her all there is to see, haven’t we, Yori?”

“Indeed, we have. We showed Miss Meram here the bedrooms, the basement, the old executioner’s room, the torture chamber and everything in-between,” Yori agrees, leaning in to press her head to Yuuki’s shoulder. The brunette cards a pale hand through her hair in obvious affection.

“Including my personal favorite, the greenhouse,” Yuuki adds, petting a finger along the wing of a blue butterfly perched on her shoulder.

“Ah, I do hope we haven’t overwhelmed you with all the information, Ms. Meram. I realize it can be a lot to take in at once.”

Eliza waves off Zero’s concern. “Not at all, Mr. Kuran! You have a lovely home and I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you better while I work here.”

“I see. I’m glad to hear we haven’t scared you off already.”

The chef of the house waltzes in then, accompanied by a train of pale, hooded servants bearing silver serving platters, setting each one before a member of the household before smoothly removing the lid and disappearing without so much as a word. Dinner is freshly braised lamb served with a deep red sauce and perfectly seasoned potatoes on the side. It takes all Eliza has not to groan at her first taste of real, _fresh_ food in months. Being a college student, she practically lives off packaged instant ramen and lukewarm coffee these days, the taste of which can’t even compare to _this._

“Ren, Ai, how is your school going?” Kaname asks with a sip of his wine. “Have you maimed or stabbed anyone yet?

“No, unfortunately,” Ai says with a deprecated glance. “But a mean boy in our class tried to hit Ren.”

“I see. Tell me again, what do we do when someone is being mean to us?”

“We hit back twice as hard before insulting their ancestors and laying a curse on their family lineage.”

The man smiles. “That’s my girl.”

“Ren, play with your food, darling.” Zero chastises gently, from beside the man. 

Eliza takes a sip of her wine (another thing she’s never been able to afford on her college diet) and softly clears her throat. “So, I know this might be a bit intrusive and forgive me for asking if it is but… how did you two meet? Ah, sorry, I realize now how that might sou-“

“It’s fine,” Zero assures the woman with a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with curiosity. Kaname and I met when his parents were attempting to find him a fiancé. I was a friend of one of his suitors, you see and well… it was love at first bite, wasn’t it, darling?”

Kaname smiles and lifts Zero’s hand to his mouth, kissing the ring that rests there. “Indeed, it was. Zero walked into the room and suddenly I could see no one else but him. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.”

“Ah, brother. You forget to mention how _pleased_ our parents were with your choice,” Yuuki adds with a snicker before looking to Eliza. “As you can likely imagine, our Mama and Papa were none too pleased to see their only son choosing a man to wed. They were furious, of course. But Kaname stood his ground and refused to be cowed by them. Tell me, what was it you told them, brother?”

“I said it would be torture, having to marry anyone other than Zero.”

“And then I said don’t torture yourself, Kaname, that’s my job. Then of course, we got to put those two freshly dug graves to use.”

Eliza’s gaze softens as she watches the two, helplessly caught in each other’s orbit. It’s impossible not to take notice of the pure adoration lingering in their glances towards each other.

“That’s really sweet, actually, standing up for your love like that. It’s like something out of a fairytale, meeting your prince charming.”

Zero blinks in surprise at her words. “I… suppose it is, isn’t it? I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

“I don’t know if I can be called a prince though,” Kaname chuckles. “I prefer to see myself as more of the dragon, secreting my lover away from prying eyes and those who would try and take him from me.”

Zero smirks as his husband presses a kiss to his lips. “I would take a big, scary dragon over some piddly knight in shining armor any day. Knights taste much too gamey for my tastes.”

As they continue to eat, Eliza can’t help but reflect on what she’s learned of the Kuran family so far and how they don’t seem at all like what the rumors describe them as. She has yet to see any blood sacrifices or virgin killing after all. They’re a bit less than conventional, yes, but these days does conventional truly mean much? It’s clear as day that Kaname and Zero are deeply in love with each other and care for their children just as much. Isn’t that what’s most important?

At the end of the day, though a bit odd and certainly more than a tad strange, the Kuran family is just that—a _family,_ same as any other. Even if they are a bit odd.

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd so all mistakes are my own. I'll love you forever if you leave a kudos or a comment! <3


End file.
